an increase in amount, intensity, extent, etc., especially a steady increase; growth or buildup (often used attributively).
Feeding the world by 2050 will necessitate a massive global ramp-up of industrial-scale agriculture.
An oil field’s life cycle consists of a ramp-up period, a production plateau, and a period of decline.
the gradual process of learning or mastering something; learning curve (often used attributively).
Training for new hires should focus on shortening the ramp-up to proficiency.
Even if customers switch platforms, they should still be able to use the application with little or no ramp-up time.
to increase in amount, intensity, extent, etc., especially steadily; build.
You can ramp up your studying in the weeks before taking the SAT.
Immunity takes time to ramp up if the body has never seen the pathogen before.
to progressively learn or become familiar with something.
The two-year program allows for time to ramp up, develop skills, and apply them in real-world scenarios.
to increase or cause to increase
(intr) to increase the effort involved in a process
What does ramp up mean? To ramp up is to increase or to cause to increase, either in speed, effort, or a similar attribute, as in You’d better ramp up your studying if you want to pass the final exam. When you say something is ramping up, you’re implying that it is just getting started or that there is much more of it left. It often describes level, amount, or frequency, especially an increase that is large or dramatic. Example: Production of the new console is just ramping up this month.
First recorded in 1980–85; noun use of verb phrase ramp up
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Execution remains key in another complex year, given ongoing restructuring, high share of projects in ramp-up, and new platforms advancing,” the analyst adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Geopolitical shifts have encouraged Western data-center operators to diversify away from Middle East to Southeast Asia, he notes. 2H’s utilities demand could remain strong, driven by continued ramp-up in data-center deployments, he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Deutsche Bahn has launched a modernisation drive, and is betting on a massive ramp-up in public spending on infrastructure to turn around its fortunes.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
Reflection is paying the least, $150 million a month, after an initial ramp-up period, from this July through 2029.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 27, 2026
A council committee recommended a smaller increase earlier this week, arguing that the city would not be able to afford such a big increase during a four-year ramp-up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
While David McBrien delivered a nerve-settling score for Mayo, the high-pressing Westerners kicked a succession of shots short during the opening quarter as they favoured low-percentage efforts in a bid to ramp up scoreboard pressure.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
The utility hasn’t specified how it plans to fund such a ramp up of projects.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
The United States on Wednesday announced it had created a "clear framework" for the eventual deployment of offshore nuclear reactors, as part of the Trump administration's push to drastically ramp up atomic energy output.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
It went into production last quarter and is expected to slowly ramp up.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
Soon we were in the line for the ramp up to the Eye.
From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
